THE KESTREL. 147 



valuable call-birds; accordingly they contrive a suitable 

 trap for catching him, which rarely fails. A white nap- 

 kin is spread upon a meadow, and fastened down at the 

 corners with little hooked sticks; on the middle of the 

 napkin a live sparrow is placed, and kept there by 

 means of a string, three or four inches in length ; 

 slender twigs are stuck up round the four sides of the 

 cloth, to prevent the Kestrel from attacking the Spar- 

 row, excepting from above. Two long slender twigs of 

 weeping willow, well covered with bird-lime, are then 

 stuck in the ground, one at each end of the napkin, 

 both forming an arch over the Sparrow, but at such a 

 distance that it cannot touch them with its wings while 

 fluttering, but still so near as to render it impossible for 

 any Hawk to reach the Sparrow without touching the 

 lime-twigs. The use of the white cloth is merely to 

 attract the attention of the Hawk to the Sparrow at a 

 greater distance. The lime-twigs must be placed so 

 lightly in the ground, that if the Hawk, on finding him- 

 self entangled, should struggle, they would still adhere 

 to his feathers, and rise with him into the air if he took 

 flight; for it has been observed, and should be known 

 to bird-catchers, that twigs covered with bird-lime, if 

 long and very slender, will stop the flight of the strong- 

 est bird, if fixed so as to pass oif with him when 

 touched by his feathers, for they become like a chain 

 binding the wings to the body. 



Sparrow-hawks may be caught by similar means; 

 there is, indeed, a great resemblance between these 

 birds in many of their habits, though the latter may 

 be considered as the more shy and untractable of the 

 two. When in pursuit of prey, however, they will not 

 unfrequently evince great boldness. We knew of one 

 which darted into an upper room, where a Goldfinch 

 was suspended in a cage, and it must have remained 

 there some time, and continued its operations with great 

 perseverance, as on the entrance of the lady to whom 

 the poor bird belonged it was found dead and bleeding 



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